The word ‘Allah’ can only be used by Muslims in the Malaysian state Selangor

If your a Christian,a Hindu or anything but a Muslim in Selangor state, Malaysia, you are banned from using the word “Allah”, according to a RT report today.

The Sultan of Malaysia’s Selangor state said “Allah” is a sacred word exclusive to Muslims.

What triggered this action by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor state?

Image/CIA

Opposition DAP party’s Secretary General Lim Guan Eng’s recently urged the Malaysian government to allow the word “Allah” to be used in the Malay version of the Bible.

According to the RT report, Christians in Indonesia and Malaysia also use ‘Allah’ to refer to God in their languages. This comes through traditional translations of the Bible made back in the 16th-17th centuries which put the Hebrew’s ‘Elohim’ (‘God’ in English holy books) as ‘Allah’.

However, in a statement from the Islamic Affairs Council of the Selangor state says, “Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah made a decision and decreed that the word ‘Allah’ is a sacred word specific to Muslims and it is prohibited to be used by any non-Muslim in Selangor.” This includes unspecified “stern action” against those who disobey the fatwa.

The Malaysia’s Council of Churches (CCM) will have not of it. They said they will continue to use the word “Allah” in the Malay version of the Bible.

In addition, the CCM said, “many indigenous communities in our nation have incorporated this word in their everyday language. That being the case, we shall continue this practice, and call on all parties to respect this fundamental right.”

According to the 2010 Census, 60% of Malaysians are Muslim, 20% Buddhists, 10% Christian and the rest are Hindu or some other or no religion.

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Robert Herriman - Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today.